Walks At Dusk

Tilted lampshades, pictures hanging crooked on the wall, curtains slightly askew and blowing out open screenless windows. Walking the dogs on these almost-autumn evenings as dusk deepens provides glimpses into people’s lives and living rooms.

If I go around 7:30 almost all the TV sets are tuned to Jeopardy/Wheel of Fortune. A few hardy souls are still sitting out on porches and call out hello as we pass. The baby of a few months ago now has a word for Princess – “wow-wow.” The pit bull puppy around the corner is almost full-grown. Flowers hopefully planted in the spring have bloomed and died. The cycle of nature continues and the cycle of lives is revealed through the windows of the homes I pass.

It’s the end of summer and parents are getting into “school night” mode, bringing the kids in earlier from their play. Even before the Equinox makes it official, Fall has come to Wood Village. The streets are already littered with dead leaves and there is a hint of rain. The wind has picked up tonight and reminds me winter will follow soon enough.

When I get home, I close the shades and draw the curtains, keeping my life private and secret from the eyes of strangers passing by.